Metal Silicon Multiple Bonds: New Building Blocks for Organic Synthesis

Abstract

Sila-organometallic chemistry on the basis of metal silicon multiple bonds has been established as a new research area, which provides interesting applications in organic chemistry and materials science. Coordination compounds with multiple bonds between metal and silicon play a key role in various important reactions. These are, for instance, dehydrocoupling reactions of silanes to polysilanes with do and dn catalysts, the hydrosilation reaction, the direct process, MOCVD deposition of silicides, sila-Wittig reactions, or applications in stereoselective and asymmetric synthesis. In this article, some selected reactions will be discussed. The focus will be placed on silylene complexes with two intramolecular donor functions, which display a flip flop coordination. Photolytic activation allows elimination of CO inducing a 1,2-shift of the donor groups from silicon to the metal. Finally, salt adducts of metal silicon double bonds are discussed.